Percussive Therapy Exploding in Popularity

SACRAMENTO -- As percussive therapy gains in popularity, it's not just for elite athletes or the rich and famous anymore.

"The whole goal behind percussive therapy is to decrease inflammation that has accumulated while you train," Dan MacLean, a therapist at Results Physical Therapy, told FOX40.

The handheld machines are no joke, performing at a very high rate of 40 pulses per second.

According to the developer of Theragun, the device is seven times more effective than manual therapy and four times better than foam rollers.

"The reason I created this initially was so people can treat themselves," Theragun founder Dr. Jason Werlsand said. "Let me help you with something that you can really work on your body, work on your aches and pains, increase your range of motion."

The idea is to not be so sore after an intense workout. A quicker recovery allows athletes at any level to get back on the playing field the next day.

"If you use this thing properly, you won't go through 2 or 3 days of soreness," Werlsand said.

"I do notice some of those aches and pains will go away. You'll recover faster and be able to train hard the next day, rather than being sore," college pitcher Jesse Howell said.

Five or six years ago, percussive therapy was only for elite athletes and Hollywood celebrities -- and available only at high-performance training facilities.

But these hand-held devices have now worked their way into the mainstream, and for good reason. Still, they're not exactly cheap -- ranging in price between $250 and $600 depending on the brand and model.

"Our ultimate goal was to spread it through, like maybe Gatorade or Under Armour, get into the hands of the people who have a voice and know how to use it. But ultimately our goal is to help everyday people," Werlsand said. "I mean, this is great for just aches and pains."